It just occurred to me that I should have draw rabbits. After all, "Haas" means rabbit in Afrikaans. Instead I drew all the rats, mice, birds and turtles populating the coffee shop named Haas.

Be not afraid, however, the animals weren't real: most were sculptures and some were stuffed. Jesse and I escaped our respective studios for another sketch outing. We've devoted the next few weeks to exploring the coffee shops of Cape Town with pencil and paper in hand.

It makes a welcome retreat from reminders of endless deadlines and to-do lists in our studios. The best thing about being a freelance illustrator is the luxury to sit leisurely in a sidewalk cafe and say, "I'm working; this is research."